Here's some good news for Brooklyn Heights. At long last, the Broklyn Heights Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library will open its doors on June 8! The new library, at over 26,000 square feet, will be the largest neighborhood branch in Brooklyn, offering a children's area, the first dedicated teen space in a Brooklyn branch, meeting rooms that will available to the public, and lots of bright airy spaces to browse and read. Click here for more details! The new building will also house a 9,000 square foot STEM research center operated by the Department of Education and two ground-floor retail spaces, one of them leased by the Brooklyn Roasting Company. While there were strong opinions on both sides of this development project, the BHA supported the initiative not only because we believe that a state-of-the-art library will benefit our neighborhood, but also because of the $40 million in proceeds from the project that were used to benefit branch libraries across Brooklyn, including: DUMBO/Vinegar Hill/Farragut Houses: $1M for a new, approximately 6,500-square-foot library. Walt Whitman: $6.5M for branch modernization and infrastructure upgrades
Pacific: $3.5M for a new ADA-compliant entry and other accessibility improvements
Sunset Park: $11M for the fit-out of a new, larger branch in conjunction with an affordable housing project
Greenpoint: $2.7M for the new library/environmental education center
Canarsie: $3M for a branch overhaul Additionally, the deal required the construction of 114 new units of affordable housing in Clinton Hill. The construction of these apartments was completed in 2021. We are excited to welcome this new facility into our neighborhood and hope to see you there!
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